


Now We're Dancing (Stepping on Each Other's Toes, but That's Okay)

by starsnatched



Series: Fangs On My Neck (Now You're Mine) [6]
Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alpha Jung Yoonoh | Jaehyun, Alpha Nakamoto Yuta, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Angst, Beta Moon Taeil, But he is so loved and Yuta tries his best, Character Study, Developing Relationship, Everything kind of boils over for Jaehyun, Identity Issues, M/M, Might add more tags, Non-Traditional Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Relationship Study, Self Confidence Issues, minor fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-17
Updated: 2020-09-17
Packaged: 2021-03-07 16:14:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,069
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26510458
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/starsnatched/pseuds/starsnatched
Summary: “Are you two… you know...” Sicheng butts in, throwing a limp wrist. The other betas in turn mirror him, giggling. The alpha just looks over at the blonde, who also does the limp wrist bit, and it’s obvious that he’s entrusting all the talk to him. Jaehyun wants to sink into the ground.“You’re betas, so you guys can smell it,” The Korean mutters, plopping beside the Japanese man. He does it so naturally, instinctively drawn to the nutmeg smell. It reminds him of safety, of acceptance. “I don’t get why you’re still asking if it’s so obvious.”
Relationships: Jung Yoonoh | Jaehyun/Nakamoto Yuta, Mark Lee/Suh Youngho | Johnny
Series: Fangs On My Neck (Now You're Mine) [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1859527
Comments: 14
Kudos: 166





	Now We're Dancing (Stepping on Each Other's Toes, but That's Okay)

**Author's Note:**

> A little thing:
> 
> Claiming - I mean, it's self-explanatory, yeah? But what I mean is that you're kind of seeing the person you claimed as an object— of course they're not really an object but it's like... imagine in a restaurant and you find a table that says 'reserved'; no one's allowed to touch that table. It's something like that, only that you're someone's heat/rut partner (which is temporary). Also, you can feel your heat/rut partner's emotions (only if they're really strong/intense) as long as the claiming bite is there. Claiming bites can also be a precursor to mating bites, if both parties want to be mates.
> 
> Courting - A bigger deal because you see them more than a heat/rut partner— you see them as someone you think you want to be mates with. It's a little like dating? But A/B/O.
> 
> Anyway, please comment below, if you can! I'd really appreciate your thoughts about the series so far.

It takes time, but Jaehyun eventually reaches out to his friends. Little by little, one by one, he reconnects with them. 

“We were… yeah, we were really surprised,” Doyoung says, hands laced with his mate’s. “But it doesn’t mean we don’t support you! We just needed time to let in sink in, you know?”

“We understand,” Jaehyun says, fingers wrapped around the blonde alpha’s. As long as Yuta’s there, the Korean feels stronger than anything else. “We’re sorry you had to find out that way.”

“It’s okay, we promise,” Taeyong says, and the omega hums in agreement. “We’re really happy for you guys.”

“Hyungs, I’m so, _so_ sorry!” Donghyuck says as he clasps his hands together. He’s hanging his head, and he shows them his hands as a sign of his truthfulness. Jungwoo stares at the alphas sheepishly. “I didn’t mean to blurt it out like that, I swear! I—”

“N-no, it’s fine!” The ravenet says, flustered. He tries to make the beta feel better by reaching out and patting his back; it’s awkward, doing the comforting this time, but he tries. “We get that maybe it was um… you know…”

“Nononono, i-it’s okay!” The youngest tries to say. His eyes sparkle so brightly that Jaehyun is taken aback, and the omega in their group nods in agreement. “We never really expected it, that’s all. You guys are an amazing couple, I can smell it with my nose!”

“Well, we’re betas so like… we kind of already knew from the moment Yuta approached us in the library,” Sicheng says as Taeil giggles. “The band-aid didn’t really help.”

“Ugh, we know.” Jaehyun says, grunting when he feels his hair being stroked. He leans towards the soothing touch, continuing, “Sorry that you had to hide it from the others. It must have been difficult for you guys.”

“We were a little scared for you, to be honest, but it seems like everything is working itself out,” Taeil speaks up, and the younger beta hums in agreement. “We’re for you guys all the way.”

Every single one of their friends had voiced their encouragement, wishing nothing but good luck to the couple and hoping that their relationship goes well. It feels so nice to have supportive friends, but…

But they’re not even _together_. Probably. Are they? Jaehyun isn’t sure.

“Jaehyunnie? Jaehyun,” Yuta’s voice floats over the other man’s shoulders, and he sighs as the bubble is burst. They’re in their dorm room cuddling on their bed, homework abandoned for now. “I have to go to the doctor, so I’ll be gone for a bit. The clinic is nearby, so I promise it won’t be long.”

“Is something wrong?” The younger man automatically lifts his head to sniff the claiming bite, smelling no wrong there; maybe it wasn’t a sickness, but an injury. “Is it an emergency?”

“No, not really,” The blonde sighs, shuddering when he feels Jaehyun lick over the bite possessively. “I got tested for any STDs a while back, and they texted me since my results are ready.”

“Oh,” The younger rolls over, giving Yuta the chance to get up from bed. “That’s nice.”

“Aren’t you going to get yourself tested?” The sound of clothes silently rustles as the Japanese man changes his clothes into something more appropriate than pajamas. 

“I did,” The younger groans into his pillow. He’s rolling on both their beds now, stretching languidly. “It’s almost been a month but they haven’t contacted me.” 

“That’s rough,” A hand makes its way to Jaehyun’s hair, and it scratches the scalp. The taller man purrs, and he bares his neck just a little when the fingers glide against his nape. It should mean nothing, but it forces the ravenet’s mind into overdrive. “I’ll be back.” 

Jaehyun lets out a grunt of acknowledgement, face smushed into the pillows as he hears the door shut. He waits for a few seconds, before lifting his head. Yuta is gone. 

_He touched the area where a mating bite should be_ , The younger alpha thinks to himself as he places his hand on his nape. _Does it mean something?_

 _No… no shut up_ , He tells himself, falling onto the pillows yet again and screaming into them. He’s confused, and it’s making his gut spin. He spends a good amount of time laying there, picking apart every single thing that crosses his mind. _It’s not how it works. Life just doesn’t work out that way._

“But it could, I mean—” he sighs, and his chest hurts. His heart aches with longing, but the back of his mind gnaws at him with disgust; an alpha can’t want to mate with another alpha, that’s just unheard of. No, the fuck it’s not; there has to be mates out there in the world where they’re both alphas, right? Right? “It’s possible… it should be possible…”

Jaehyun groans, and tears spring to his eyes. _But is it right? Is it okay, to be this way?_

“Yuta hyung said it was okay, so it is,” The younger feels a bit dumb as he debates with himself in their dorm room, but he can’t help himself. “Mark says it’s okay. Everyone else says it’s okay.” 

_It’s not. It’s fucking not and you know it,_ The thoughts start to come, and it fills him with rage. It wraps itself around his heart and squeezes it tight, and he growls. What the hell is he growling at? He has no idea. _Defect, defect, defect._

“I-I’m not a defect,” He slams his head onto a pillow, willing for them to go away somehow. “I’m not, I’m not, I’m fucking not.”

It takes him a second before he’s scrambling off their shared bed and he’s staring at it. If he thinks about it, the bed is like a nest.

Their nest, for the both of them. As if they’re mates.

“Fuck!” Jaehyun shouts, turning away from the painful sight and whimpering. It’s what he wants, but why does he feel so weak? He’s trying to be true to himself, but why, why does it fucking suck? His mind tells him to destroy the nest, erase any traces of submission, but he doesn’t want to; he just knows, deep down, that he doesn’t want to. 

“It’s okay. Everyone said it’s okay, so it is,” He whispers to himself, curling into a ball. He doesn’t dare look back, shaking. “I l-love myself, I don’t care if I’m seen as weak, I’m okay.”

_“You need to acknowledge the fact that you like alphas. It’s really just a part of you, and that’s okay.”_

“I’m okay,” The man feels tears run down his face, but he doesn’t mind it. He tries his best to see the light at the end of the tunnel, but it's faint. It’s there, but it’s so far away. “I’m okay, I’m okay, I’m—”

_“We’re not hurting anyone. If this is who we are, then it’s fine.”_

_“So we’re okay?”_

_"Yeah,” Warmth envelopes Jaehyun’s hand, and it blooms from his chest. His thoughts are quiet, and they leave him thinking of how, for some reason, it feels right. “We’re okay.”_

“I’m okay,” Jaehyun sobs, pulling his hair. There’s not really any pain, just the dull sensation of something being pulled. “I’m o-okay, I’m… I-I’m oka—”

“Jaehyun!” A door is slammed and suddenly a firm hand is on his shoulder. His neck lets out an audible crack from how fast he turned his head, but everything’s all blurry and misty from the tears. “I’m here, Jaehyunnie. Look at me, baby.”

But he can’t see. He can’t fucking see and it just somehow makes his heart ache more. He cries out, “Alpha? Alpha—”

“I’m here baby,” Nutmeg fills the room, so sweet and comforting that Jaehyun automatically buries his head towards the source— Yuta’s neck. His shaking had stopped a significant amount, but the older man knows that the ravenet is still in a very vulnerable state nonetheless. “Right here.”

“Alpha,” A tongue pokes out to swipe briefly along the claiming bite. When he confirms it’s still there, he lets out a shaky sigh in relief. “How did you—?”

“The claiming bite, baby. I didn’t know you were in so much stress. Come on, the floor isn’t too comfy now isn’t it?” Yuta’s voice could be described as hypnotising— calm, smooth, and it washes over the Korean’s being like gentle waves. He feels himself being hauled up and dragged toward their bed. The taller cringes when he feels himself being lowered onto it, reminded of just how much of a nest it is. “Down you go.”

“Stay, alpha. Stay.” Jaehyun’s voice is cracked, and it disarms the Japanese man so quickly and suddenly that he can only take off his jacket before Yuta is laying in their bed. He tries to be considerate of the younger man’s space, opting to hold his hand instead of hugging him. He uses his other hand to wipe away.

“Wanna talk about it?” For the first time, the older man says it. Maybe he didn’t exactly mean talking about _them_ and how the future is looking for the both of them, but as broad as the question is, it’s still a start. “Jaehyun?”

“I just—” The younger sniffles, using his free arm to wipe away any leftover tears. “I just thought I was o-okay.”

“It’s okay to admit you’re not feeling alright. I mean, it’s a process, you know?”

“Yeah b-but,” Jaehyun mutters, and he flops onto his stomach, still clutching the other’s hand. His face had taken up residence among their pillows at this point, it’s almost hilarious. But with Yuta stroking his hair just the way he likes, he relaxes a bit more. It’s safe. “I was kinda hoping that… that all the bad thoughts will go away. I just wish that they could go away in an instant? I just— I’m an alpha but I wish I didn’t need other people to... tell me t-these things.”

The hand stops playing with the black strands, and Jaehyun thinks he said something bad when he hears a stifled chuckle. “Silly, little alpha, you— sorry, I need to—”

Yuta turns away to laugh into his palm, and the younger growls, albeit playfully. He straddles the older, trying to bare his teeth, but the blonde only giggles harder. The Korean tries to wrestle the older man, who finally regains a bit of his composure, but there’s still the grin on his face.

“Sorry, baby. I really didn’t mean to laugh at you, I just—” Jaehyun yelps when he’s suddenly wrestled back into the bed. When he looks up, the Japanese man is smiling down on him, reminding him of a bright, sunny day. _Safe, safe, safe_. “It’s okay to lean on other people for support. I mean, of course you’re doing it for yourself but—”

“If you need help, then that’s okay. As long as you know that you’re helping yourself, you can let others help you,” Yuta lets his arm go, and he flops onto the taller man as they both grunt at the force. The blonde sniffs, cooing at the smell of cinnamon intertwining with nutmeg. “And things just don't go away in an instant. It's going to take time, but we're all here for you. Understand?” 

“I guess,” Jaehyun sighs. It’s weird— an alpha, asking for _help_? No… no, it’s okay to ask for help. Everyone says it’s okay, so it should be. It is. It’s okay. God, this is going to take some getting used to. “Yeah.”

It’s silent, and the two are just embracing each other when Yuta changes the topic. He fails miserably, but it does help shift the subject, “I’m clean by the way.”

“Clean? Do you mean— oh,” The ravenet is dumbfounded, nervous, excited. His brain revs up into overdrive again, thinking about all the possible implications of the statement. “Oh. Oh, that’s nice.” 

“Can you try to sound less awkward?” Yuta snorts, laughing. The atmosphere melts into something like… home. Yeah, it feels like home. “I know we’re both alphas, but fuck— Hey!”

The blonde lets out a growl when he feels himself being flopped onto his back. His instincts push him to fight back, and the next thing they know, they’re wrestling each other on the bed. The room is filled with grunts and snarls, but it ends up with Jaehyun pressed on the bed, laying on his stomach. There’s a hand on his nape, and the Japanese man is using all his weight to pin the other alpha down. 

“Fuck,” The younger man wiggles around, trying to break free. “It’s your fault that you can’t speak for shit.”

“Whatever. No one cares. Anyway,” Yuta’s voice sounds proud, and his grip tightens to make the ravenet still. His gut pools with satisfaction. “I win.”

“For now,” The younger groans, adrenaline seeping from his bones. Gradually the feeling of tiredness fogs his mind. He’ll allow the older man to win, just this once. “I only let you.” 

“Wow, I feel so special.” The Japanese man laughs, leaning down to scent Jaehyun. The younger smiles because, to him, Yuta _is_ special. In a way he doesn’t understand, but he’s sure of it nonetheless.

The very next day, Jaehyun is gonna try. After letting it sit in his mind for practically the whole night, the man is convinced that he's gonna do it.

“Hyung,” Jaehyun says as they’re both getting ready for classes. The older pauses from packing his bag, curious, when the ravenet holds up a shirt. “Would you… um… mind w-wearing... this?”

“That’s your shirt.”

“I-I know.”

“Jaehyun.”

“Yuta hyung.”

“You know what you’re implying, right?” Neither of them say it outright, but the question is loaded with more weight than ever. His tone is unreadable, blank. Probably on purpose. “You know that what you’re doing is—”

“I know.”

“You’re having a hard time accepting yourself. And I don’t know if doing this will… make it better. You know?”

“I know I’m struggling,” Jaehyun looks down at the shirt. It stares back, and he’s unsure if it’s encouraging him to go through with it or to chuck it somewhere in the room to be forgotten. “But I _know_ that being with you…I know that it makes me happy. It makes everything feel better, so it helps me, right? I k-know I like it whenever you’re with me.”

“Are you sure?” Fingers gingerly grip the cloth, and they barely brush against Jaehyun’s. “I need to know that you’re okay with this.”

“Yes, I am,” The taller man offers the shirt. Even though his face is schooled into a serious expression, the tips of his ears are burning red and his hand is slightly shaking from the nerves; Yuta can always say no to the courting, and has every right to refuse him. “I’m sure.” 

He’s entirely surprised when the shorter man, then, takes the shirt. Jaehyun is entirely rooted in his spot when the blonde takes a moment to sniff the cloth, to check if the cinnamon scent is really there, before removing his own shirt so he can wear the ravenet’s. It’s a little too big, but nothing a little tucking in can’t fix. “How does it look?”

“Y-yeah, looks nice,” The Korean’s voice cracks, and so does his stony face. He looks lost, happy but confused. Does that mean Yuta accepts him as a potential mate? Something at the back of his mind asks him if he made the right choice, but he shuts it away. He did, he _did_ make the right choice. He’s doing this because he knows it’s who he is; it’s what makes him happy. “Looks g-good on you.” 

“Here,” The older man fishes out a pair of earphones from his backpack and holds it out. It’s just a string of wire, but the implications make it more than that. “I think it’d be unfair if it’s one-sided.”

“A-ah,” Jaehyun reaches out a shaky hand. He takes the earphones like it were a live bomb, and he can feel how slippery his hand is around them because of the sweat. “T-thank you.”

The earphones are laced with the scent of christmas, and the younger man’s legs shake. _This_ is it. This little thing? It shouldn’t mean anything, but it does. It does and it makes him so confused; a part of him wants to take everything back— alphas getting together is just so weird. But, Jaehyun powers through; he wants to make this work. 

“It’s not gonna do anything if you just hold it. Here—” Yuta grabs the taller alpha’s phone, then snatches the earphones from his hands and plugs them in with a finalizing click. The Japanese man places each earbud into the taller man’s ears, then places the phone in his hand. Yuta steps back and smiles, admiration sparkling in his eyes. “Perfect.”

“I’ll use it well.” Jaehyun says, and he watches how Yuta smiles. He can hear him laugh through the earbuds. 

Yeah, it’s going to be okay.

Mark stares at him with wide eyes, and the taller man gets into defensive mode. “What? Is there something on my face?”

“No. No, everything’s fine,” The Canadian mumbles, then sniffs the air a little. He doesn’t smile, but Jaehyun can hear the happiness in the younger’s tone. “So… it’s official?”

“I guess,” The ravenet hears a squeal beside him, and he facepalms. He hopes his hand is hiding his warm cheeks— no doubt they’re turning red. “It’s not like we’re mates, Mark.”

“Yeah but… he’s considering the possibility of it,” The brunett hums, rocking back into his seat. The lecture hall is abuzz with chatter since their professor isn’t present yet. “Aren’t you, too?”

“Maybe.”

“I think it’s really brave of you, hyung,” Mark says. “I know it’s been hard but… it’s a start, yeah?”

The older man doesn't answer, and the door opens to reveal their professor. Jaehyun oh so carefully wraps the earphones around his phone, making sure nothing is twisted, before placing it in his pocket. In just a couple of minutes, class begins. 

When Jaehyun approaches his friends in the library, someone loudly laughs before being promptly shushed. The man sighs— those are his friends, alright. He reaches the table and some of them greet him but others gasp.

“So it’s real!” Donghyuck says, but Taeyong tells him to quiet down once more. The betas shift between Yuta and Jaehyun, before wiggling their eyebrows at the ravenet. The youngest continues, “I mean, we were able to smell it from Yuta hyung, but now that you’re here—”

“Are you two… you know...” Sicheng butts in, throwing a limp wrist. The other betas in turn mirror him, giggling. The alpha just looks over at the blonde, who also does the limp wrist bit, and it’s obvious that he’s entrusting all the talk to him. Jaehyun wants to sink into the ground.

“You’re betas, so you guys can smell it,” The Korean mutters, plopping beside the Japanese man. He does it so naturally, instinctively drawn to the nutmeg smell. It reminds him of safety, of acceptance. “I don’t get why you’re still asking if it’s so obvious.”

“Oh my god!” Donghyuck screeches, but is interrupted by Doyoung bonking his head. His voice lowers into a stage whisper. “So you’re really courting each other?”

The words being spoken have Yuta announcing confidently, “Yes.” and the table bursts with life. It’s supposed to be a group study session even though so much time is spent goofing off, but the ravenet missed this. After weeks of avoiding his friends, it’s nice to be interacting with them. Not one of them treats him differently either, and the way his friends ask him questions about his and Yuta’s relationship are casual and full of genuine curiousity.

Jaehyun’s mind drifts and he doesn’t realize he’s staring at the other alpha until he feels someone boop his nose. His eyes focus and oh, Yuta’s staring at him with such a strong fondness that the younger’s heart leaps. But no— his instincts wouldn’t allow him to be taken by such eyes, so he growls, though he does so in a joking manner. The blonde reciprocates with a playful growl of his own and oh, are those fangs? They seem to be more prominent than usual.

“Is this how alphas flirt?” Jungwoo’s voice dispels any atmosphere the two had in their own little bubble, and they’re brought back to the semi-rowdy library table. “Weird.”

“Just let them be, hyung.” Mark says, humming when Johnny pulls him a little close. Every other couple except for the two alphas had one way or another been getting physically close for all their friends to see, and it makes the ones that are single whine and pout. 

Both Yuta and Jaehyun goof around with each other, even though it wasn’t obvious to their friends. Whenever the younger locks eyes with the blonde, he bares his teeth with a wide smile. Every time the Japanese man shows off his fangs, it shows off how sharp they are and how noticeable they are. The ravenet can’t help but stare at them every chance he gets. 

“Are my good looks affecting you?” Yuta had the audacity to flip his hair while saying so, puffing his chest out. It’s obvious he’s peacocking, but why? Because, if the younger thinks about it, the older doesn’t really have to impress him— they’re courting each other after all.

“Go focus on your homework.” The taller man just says, but he smiles to himself when he hears a satisfied hum beside him. They’re in their own little world again and well, Jaehyun likes to think he lives on the edge.

He brings out his phone and unravels the pair of earphones, puts in an earbud, and offers the other to the older alpha. Yuta takes it, and they listen to music together. Their friends are too busy bantering with each other to really interrupt the two, so the younger alpha takes his chance.

His hand slides under the table, and when he tugs on ~~his~~ Yuta’s shirt, the blonde gets it immediately. The older man holds out his fingers, since that’s the boundary Jaehyun set between them; he’s not going to breach his trust by being greedy now. Which is why he jumps in his seat when he feels his hand being completely enveloped by warmth. 

Yuta turns and opens his mouth to try to ask the other alpha if he’s sure, but he stops himself. The ravenet is engrossed in his homework, brows furrowed. A text notification interrupts the music, and after a moment of Jaehyun checking it, he’s back to doing his work with one hand and holding onto the other alpha with another. The blonde just chuckles and focuses on his own schoolwork. Maybe things are going to be okay. 

“Thanks for the study session, you guys,” Mark says as he packs his stuff. “Even though we didn’t really, you know, study.”

“That’s all on you,” Sicheng sticks his tongue out. “Rubbing yourself all over Johnny.”

Amidst the teasing, Taeil approaches the raven-haired alpha. He’s silent, and Jaehyun jumps when he feels someone grab his shoulder. 

“Um, Jaehyun? We didn’t want to put you on the spot but—” The beta leans in close, whispering. “Well, with the whole courting thing, we’re assuming you’re the one who’s gonna take care of his rut?”

“What?” 

“Jaehyun, you’ve been sitting next to him all this time and you couldn’t smell it?” Taeil deadpans. “He’s gonna go into rut soon.”

“Oh.”

“Jaehyun!”

“You’re a beta so of course you’d be able to smell it! And it’s not like I could always tell the way his pheromone levels are rising just because we’re hanging out a lot,” The alpha hisses. “I’ll… I’ll take care of it, okay? I got this.”

“You better inform your professors beforehand then,” Taeil pats his shoulder. “Because well… ruts, am I right?”

The older man leaves then, giggling. No one among their friend group seems to notice their little interaction, and Jaehyun feels someone tug on his shirt. It’s Yuta, and he’s smiling, “Let’s go back to the dorms.”

“Sure,” The younger’s eyes keep drifting to the sharp, sharp canines, and his mind is thinking about how it makes sense. He should probably try to talk it out when they get to their room, try to pad through their situation. “Let’s go.”

**Author's Note:**

> Oh, Yuta's gonna be in rut. Does that mean... you know... *throws a limp wrist*
> 
> twitter: @starsnatched


End file.
